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Anders Breivik the white Mandela

by Joseph Secrève It’s been a week since the most notorious modern day mass murderer on Norwegian soil has been sentenced to 21 years, the maximum sentence the Norwegian state could offer. Given the severe nature of Breivik’s crimes – the killing of 77 innocent citizens – there would be little doubt that had the

Could Romney’s older, white voters withstand Obama’s rising tide of black and Hispanic youths?

By MICHAEL ORESKES Associated Press TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — One way to think about this year’s election is as a contest between the impact of a sour economy (advantage Romney) and the power of the nation’s shifting demographics (advantage Obama). Put simply, the groups that support President Barack Obama most strongly – blacks, Hispanics, young

Blacks worse off now than under apartheid – Julius Malema

Black people are worse off than they were during the apartheid years, expelled ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema said on Thursday. “We are worse [off] than during the times of apartheid. We are being killed by our own people. We are being oppressed by our own government,” he told mineworkers at the Aurora mine

Madonna tells Philadelphia fans not to get fat and lazy

London: Madonna shared some piece of advice with fans during her Philadelphia gig, telling them not to get fat and lazy. The 54-year-old singer made the comment as she kicked off the North American leg of her MDNA world tour before promptly stripping off. The pop diva got racy during ‘Like a Virgin’ and ‘Human

Thailand breaks mass-massage world record

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand has long been known as the massage capital of the world. Now, it has a Guinness World Record to prove it. A record-breaking 641 massage therapists mass-massaged 641 people simultaneously for 12 minutes to win the honor Thursday at an indoor exhibition hall in Bangkok. The event was organized by the

South Africa’s ‘culture of greed and corruption’ – Finance Minister Gordhan

South Africans need to work together to prevent the country from giving in to a culture of greed and corruption, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan said on Thursday. “Let me tell you that from where I stand and what I see, this [corruption] is a disease that a hospital or health system cannot solve,” he said

Ron Paul supporters stage a walkout from Republican convention

Dozens of delegates for White House also-ran Ron Paul walked out of the Republican National convention for a second straight day Wednesday, angered by rule changes they say squelch grass roots political rights. It was a rowdy end to Texas congressman Paul’s presidential bid, which fell short against rival Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor

‘Two stolen sheep on the back seat’ of their car

Three men appeared in court after being caught near Ixopo squeezed in a car with four stolen sheep, KwaZulu-Natal police said on Thursday. Colonel Jay Naicker said Mxolisi Dlamini, 20, Sabelo Khoza, 22, and Thobani Madlala, 20, appeared in the Ixopo Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday. “The men who face charges of possession of stolen property

Malema arrives at Aurora mine

Ululation, whistles and jubilation greeted expelled ANCYL leader Julius Malema’s arrival at the Aurora mine in Grootvlei, Springs, on Thursday. Workers sang “Ngisebenzela izingane zami emgodini” (I’m working for my children in the mine). Malema arrived in a Mercedes-Benz Viano minibus dressed in a white shirt, black pants and his trademark beret. Workers at the

Accusations of racism at Republican national convention

Tampa – Two people were ejected from the Republican National Convention for throwing nuts at an African-American camera operator for CNN and telling her: “This is how we feed animals,” the cable network said. The incident happened on Tuesday in the Tampa Bay Times Forum where delegates officially nominated Mitt Romney as the Republican candidate

Many civilians massacred in Congo, say U.N. officials

Rival armed groups may have killed hundreds of civilians in massacres and other “incomprehensibly vicious” attacks in eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), senior U.N. officials said on Wednesday. The violence is focused in North Kivu province near the border with Rwanda where warring groups have targeted villages seen as supporting their

New York Times and UN at loggerheads over state of Zimbabwean agriculture

Whereas the New York Times sang the praises of Zimbabwean “land reform” only a few weeks ago, the UN food agency has just said that hunger was worsening in Zimbabwe after erratic rains, shortages of seeds and fertiliser and “poor agricultural practices” in the troubled economy. This, the UN said, had led to a reduction

Amnesty International urges Gambia to stop mass executions

Amnesty International on Tuesday said it was appalled at the execution in Gambia of nine death row prisoners by firing squad and urged government not to kill an estimated 38 prisoners remaining. “We are appalled that the Gambian authorities carried out the nine executions and urge them to ensure that no further executions take place,”

Tutu decides Tony Blair is morally objectionable, pulls out of conference

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu has withdrawn from a leadership summit in Johannesburg because of the attendance of former British prime minister Tony Blair, his office said on Tuesday. “The Archbishop has spent considerable time over the past few days wrestling with his conscience and taking counsel from trusted advisers with respect to his attendance at